Two researchers whose work involves unleashing the body's immune system to attack cancer were awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine on Monday. According to the Nobel committee, the accomplishments of James P.

Two researchers whose work involves unleashing the body's immune system to attack cancer were awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine on Monday. According to the Nobel committee, the accomplishments of James P. Allison of the United States and Tasuku Honjo of Japan established "an entirely new principle for cancer therapy." Their breakthrough has led to a new class of drugs, called checkpoint inhibitors, as well as lasting remissions for many individuals who had exhausted other options. While checkpoint inhibitors do not work for everyone nor all cancers, can have severe adverse effects, and are costly, immunotherapy has become a mainstay of treatment for several types of cancer. Allison is chairman of immunology at the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, though he did the work recognized by the Nobel committee while working the University of California at Berkeley and Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York. Honjo is a longtime professor at Kyoto University.